Door spring and check.



I. B. TAFT.

DOOR SPRING AND CHECK.

APPLICATION FILED MNA, 191s.

1,073,545. 'Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

i sm-f. "fig-"5 BVM T VW 37 UBRH 53 Afro/Mfrs COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM cu, WASHINGTON, uy c4 I. B. TAFT.

DOOR SPRING AND CHECK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1913.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNTFAD @RATES PATENT @FFlfCE IRA. B. TAFT, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

DOOR SPRING AND CHECK.

Application filed January 4, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, IRA B. TA'FT, a citizen oit the United States, and a resident oi rCedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State et Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Door Spring' and Check, o't which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has for its object to provide a door spring and check, the spring having a shaft, with means for securing' the shaft relatively to a door member, there be ing' a casing' mounted ior rotating' on the shaft, which is Connected with the shaft by a coiled spring', which serves to rotate the casing'. An arm, pivoted to the shaft, is engaged by a ting-er secured to the casing, so that the arm will be held yieldingly against a spool, mounted for rotating' on a spindle, secured to a door.

Another object of the invention is to provide the t'rame carrying' the spindle and the spool, with two fingers for engaging a ineinber pivoted to the door frame which is held yielding'ly in a predetermined position by a spring, the spring' being disposed to permit fingers to pass one on either side.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the followingcomplete specilication. in which the preferred form of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawings similar characters of rei erence indicate corresi'ionding parts in all the views, in which Figure 1 is a 'fragmentary view of a door and door casing', showing' my door spring in operative position; Fig'. 2 is a plan view of my doorl spring, with parts oit the casing broken away, to show the spring' connecting the sha't't with the casing; Fig'. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation, of my spring', sliowingthe relative position ot' the arm when the door is open; Fin'. 4 is an enlarged View of the means for securing' the shaft t0 the door frame; Fig'. 5 is a sectional View on lthe line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig'. G is a transverse view of Fig'. 1; and Fig'. 7 is a sectional View on the line 7-7 of Fig'. 6.

There has always been difliculty in the past in so mountingdoor springs which have sufficient power to close the door quickly, that the door may be conveniently and readily opened. This is a very serious objection, for in some cases, it is impossible for women and children to open doors which are provided with these heavy springs,

Specification of Letters Patent.

.ltatented Sept. 1G, 191.3.

Serial No. 740,131.

which are now heilig used. lVith my invention the diiliculty is overcome, ior while my spring has suflicient power to quickly close the door, it is so constructed and mounted that the power required to open the door is not a serious drawback.

By referring' to the drawings, it will be seen that a shaft 5 is provided, around which is coiled a spring' (3, the terminals 7 ot' the spring being' secured to the shaft, as shown in Fig'. 3 ot the drawings. The central loop portion S oit the spring (3 is engaged by a hook f), secured to and projecting inwardly from the casing 10, this casing 10 being' mounted 'for rotating' on the shaft 5. It will therefore be seen that the casing 10 will be rotated yielding'ly relatively to the sha'ft 5, by this spring' (i. The casing' 10 is preferably constructed in two parts 11, each having` a flange 19., which engages the companion flange on the other side member 11, the flanges being' held together by bolts 13, which are disposed in orifices 14;, in the flanges 12. Spaccd apart along' these flanges 1Q there are recesses 15, and extending' radially therefrom there are orifices 1G in the side members 11, the orifices 1G being provided :tor receivingthe studs 17 on the arms 18 of the fingers 1f), these arms 18 of the fing'er 1S) beingconncctcd with the parts Q0, which form continuations o'f the arms 1S, the parts 2O being normally held together by a screw 21, which meshes in threaded orifices in the parts 20 of the finger 19. TWhen the studs 17 are disposed in the orifices 1C, the finger at 2Q is disposed in the adjacent recess 15. lVhen the screw 21 is removed, the arms 18 may be moved away from each other, so that thc studs '17 may be adjusted in any desired companion oriiices 1G, with the portion 22 oi the finger 19 disposed in the `adjacent radially disposed recess 15. Vith this construction it will be seen that while the finger 19 may be conveniently adjusted relatively to the casing 11, to obtain any desired tension of the spring' G, the finger 19 when adjusted may be held firmly in position for use.

rFlic finger 19 engages a member 23 of an arm 24, pivoted coaxially with the casing 11, in a manner which will be shortly described, this arm 2li engaging a spool 25, mounted for rotating on a spindle 26, secured to a .'t'rame 43. This frame 43 has a shank all; disposed in an opening' in a bracket The shank 44; is held in place in the opening in the bracket 45 by the set screws arm 24 by means of its Vmember 23 with the result that the arm 24 will press against the spool 25 mounted on the vdoor 27 in the manner described. l

it should be noted that the casing 171V is pivoted on a. vertical axis, disposed a distance from the-axis of the door, and that as the door is opened, the arm 24 will move along the spool 25, so that the distance between the spool 25 and the shaft 5 will become much less. Of course as the pressure of the spring is exerted on the spoo-l 25, near the end of the arm 24, the motion of the `door will be more rapid, but the force will be less. it will therefore be seen that when the door, which is closed, is about to be opened, itwill be unnecessary to exert much force `to start the movement of vthe door,

while, when the door is openedV wider, the force exerted by this springwill become more noticeable, as the pressure of the arm on the spool 25 will be at a greater distance'from the free terminalV of the said arm 24.

The shaft 5 is provided with threaded terminals 28, with which mesh nuts 29. One of the nuts has a left-hand thread, and the other a right-hand thread. rlhe nuts 29 are separated from the body of the shaft 28 by means of the washers 30. fit snugly in the square openings 31 in the bracket 'members 32 yand 33, thel bracket member 32 being secured to Va plate 34, which is secured 'to the door casing 61. rlhis plate 34 has an opening 35, and sleeves 3'6 adjacent thereto, so that a plate 37, to .which the bracket member 33 is secured, Ymay be disposed in this'opening 35, with its sleeve 38 disposed between and in alinement with the sleeves 36, to permit the'introduction ofapin 39 through the sleeves 36 and 38, for holding the plates 34 and 35 inv position. rThis construction is providedso that one ofthe nuts 29 may vbe readily introduced int-o the square openings 31, on the bracket 33, after the other nut V29 has been intro duced in the square opening in the bracket 32. rlhe shaft 5 ha-s an opening 40, eX- tending'therethrough, in which -is disposed a rod 41, the rod 41 extending beyond the ends 28 ofthe shaft 5, to permitthe mounting of the terminals 42 of the arm l24 on the ends o-f the rod'41.

The frame 43`has two vupwardly disposed fingers 47, which engage a dependingmember 48, pivoted to a bracket 49, secured to the door casing`61. This member 48 is heldyieldingly in a predetermined position by a spring 550, which is coiled around a -stud :51, Lsecured Ito *the bracket l49, and

These nuts 29 which has one terminal 52 pressing against the bracket 49., `.and the other terminal 53 pressing against the depending pivoted member 48. As the terminal 53 ofthe spring 50 presses against the depending member 48, adjacent its pivot the spring serves to hold the member in the normal .position shown by the full lines in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the spring permitting the depending member 48 to-move to theposition-shown bythe dotted lines in the said figure to permit the iingers 47 to pass when the door is closed. W hen the vdoo-r is opened the fingers 47 .will pass one at each Vside of the spring terminal 53, and they will rotate the pivoted member 48 until the fingers 47 are free therefrom, when the spring terminal 53V 4by its engagement with the pivoted `member 48 at the rear of the pivot will return the 4pivoted member 48 to normal position. i Y

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: i 1. A shaft, la member mounted for rotating on the shaft, `a spring connecting the member and the shaft, for rotating the member in one direction relatively to the shaft, a finger carriedv by themem'oer, .and an arm pivoted to the shaft and engaged by the finger for pressing against Aa `member on a door.

2. A bracket adapted lto be secured 'toa door frame, a vmember pivoted to the bracket, a stud, a spring coiled around the stud with a portion pressing against the bracket, and ano-ther portion pressing against the member adjacent its pivot, and a frame adaptedtobe secured to a door and having a finger for engaging'the member at one-side of the spring.

3. A bracket adapted to be secured/to a door frame, a member pivoted to the bracket, a stud, a spring coiled around the stud with a portion pressing against the bracket, and another lportion' ypressing against the member adjacent its pivot, va,

frame adapted to be :secured to a door and having a iinger for engaging *the member at one side of the spring, said Yframe having a member, an arm for engaging the 'last-V mentioned member, and vmeans forholdin'g Y the arm yieldinglyin a predetermined position.

f4. A shaft, a casing mounted for rotating on the shaft and having openings, a spring connecting the Vshaft with the casing for -rotating the latter, Va 'finger adjustable relatively to the'casing, and having studs vfor engaging selected `openings in the casing for -holding fthe finger in adjusted position relatively to the casing, and means operable bythefinger forclosing the door.

5. A shaft, a casing fmounted V'for 'rotating-on Ethe shaft and Ehaving a lrecess .in :its

periphery, and an opening at each side, a finger having two portions each With a stud for engaging the casing at an opening When a portion of the finger is disposed in the recess, resilient means for rotating the casing relatively to the shaft, and means by Which the fingeris adapted for operating the door.

6. A shaft having ends, bracket members secured relatively to the shaft and normally secured relatively to a door casing, a casing mounted for rotating on the shaft, a spring connecting the shaft and the casing for rotating the latter, a finger carried by the casing, and an arm pivoted relatively to the shaft and engaged by the finger for pressing against a member on a door.

7. A shaft having ends, a pair of arms having openings fitting the ends of the shaft, which prevent the rotation of the shait relatively to the arms, a plate to which one of the arms is secured, and having an opening, and a sleeve at the opening, a plate in which the other arm is secured, the second plate fitting the opening in the first plate, and having a sleeve which is normally dis posed in alinement with the iirst sleeve, a pin normally disposed in the sleeve, a casing mounted for rotating on the shaft, a spring connecting the shaft With the easing for rotating the latter, an arm pivoted to the shaft, and a finger secured to the casing for engaging a member on the arm for operating the latter.

8. A frame having two lingers spaced apart, a spindle on the frame, a spool mounted :tor rotating on. the spindle, a bracket, a member pivoted to the bracket for engagement by the lingers, means for holding the member yieldingly in a predetermined position, an arm for engaging the spool, and means :for holding the arm yield ingly in a predetermined position.

9. A Yframe having two fingers spaced apart, a member on the i "ame, a bracket, a member pivoted to the bracket for engagement by the fingers, means :tor holding the member yieldingly in a predetermined position, an arm for engaging the Iirst member, and means for holding the arm yieldingly in a predetermined position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

IRA B. TAFT.

Vitnesses:

FLORENCE E. TALno'rr, FRANK G. CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

